In June, when my tomato plants were setting their first trusses (truss is tomato talk for flowers and flowers mean tomatoes), I gave my Gazpacho with Trimmings recipe made with Isle of Wight (www.thetomatostall.co.uk) tomatoes. I’m still using some of their gorgeous little cherry tomatoes in this no-fuss Gazpacho but I’ve been able to include a big fat tomato from my own plants. The salad soup, which is what Gazpacho is, takes moments to make but must be chilled for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. This version is thick and luscious, creamy with hints of chilli, mint, garlic and sweet red onion, but mostly it’s about tomato and red pepper. Do try it. It is surprisingly satisfying.
Serves 4
Prep 30 min plus 4 hour or more chilling
100g day-old white bread, preferably sourdough
2 large garlic cloves
½ cucumber
½ big red chilli
160g red pepper
1 small red onion
750g tomatoes, including a proportion of cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp best olive oil
1 tbsp sherry or wine vinegar
15 small mint leaves
Place torn bread in the bowl of a food processor with roughly chopped peeled garlic. Peel the cucumber, halve horizontally and use a teaspoon to scrape out the seeds. Chop. Cut out the pepper stalk, halve lengthways, remove seeds and pale filament and roughly chop. Trim, split, de-seed and chop the chilli. Halve, peel and chop the onion. Cut out the core of any large tomatoes in a pointed plug shape and roughly chop. Leave cherry toms whole. Add cu, pepper, chilli, onion, tomatoes and 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp vinegar to the bread and garlic. Add 500ml cold water or some water some ice cubes, mint leaves, ¼ tsp salt and generous seasoning of pepper. Blitz, liquidizing for several minutes until thick and creamy. Taste, add more water if you think it too thick – it should be thick – adding more salt, squeeze lemon and dash of Tabasco if your taste buds say so. Decant and chill covered for as long as you can bear it; 2 hours at a pinch but really 4.